Nature's Ways: Finding color

At this time of year, it is easy to lament the loss of flowers, butterflies and songbirds that brought color and joy to our spring and summer landscape.

Leaves have faded and fallen, grasses have turned from golden to gray and the land overall seems to have turned shades of less-than-soul-satisfying colors.

It isn’t that color has totally disappeared. It’s just subtler. We have to look for it a little harder now than just a few weeks ago.

On a recent gray and cloudy morning, I attended a breakfast meeting in a place that was less than beautiful. And yet, as I stepped out of my car I found myself surrounded by lovely, muted color on the edge of the parking lot.

There were rusty reds and oranges, creams and whites, all backed by various shades of gray. It was a simple strip of abandoned land that had sprouted various wildflowers, shrubs and small trees but it was gorgeous and lush.

The winter birds are not as colorful as our summer birds. Even the cardinals are a duller shade of red. In winter a bird’s thoughts turn to camouflage and survival, not the revelry and frivolity of courtship.

Duller plumage allows them to flit through the bushes and trees as if they were moving parts of the plants.

A bright yellow goldfinch is a thing of beauty, of course, but the olives, browns and grays the goldfinch wears in winter are beautiful, too. It is a quieter, gentler beauty but one that is in tune with the season.

I’ve always been glad to live in a place that has a winter season. The quieter landscape gives me an opportunity to investigate and engage outdoors in a different way.

There are no leaves to hinder my views, no wild colors or songs to distract me. I can appreciate the architecture of different trees, the ways seed heads of flowers are put together and the way grasses blend into the dunes and marshes with a multitude of neutral colors.

This is a time of year to appreciate black and white as well. There are the buffleheads, the loons and the eider ducks, all gorgeous in their limited colors. Add a bit of rusty color and there are the mergansers and other ducks. If you’ve ever seen a gadwall, you know how incredible a simple neutral palette can be.

If you’re lucky enough to spot a fox, coyote or deer you will note their coloring is also subdued. Their coats are thick, luxurious.

It is not surprising that winter was a time for hunting animals for their fur. Winter is still a hunting season here on the Cape, though not for fur any more. As always, be aware when walking outdoors at times that hunters favor.

Wear bright colors and make noise. You may not see the deer or the fox, but the hunter will hopefully see you. Who knows, you might even scare off the very thing they were going to shoot. Oops.

This is the time to appreciate the colors of late fall. The winterberries and other hollies are still brightening many areas with their burst of bright red berries across the landscape.

Red cedar trees are full of icy blue berries and the privet, cat brier and other shrubs and vines are full of darker blue and purple berries. The red berries will go first as birds and other animals feast on them but by the end of the winter, most of the berries of all kinds will have been eaten.

We are fortunate to live among so many evergreens here. No matter how bleak a day may seem, no matter how gray, damp or daunting, there will always be a patch of green for our eyes to feast upon.